The inauguration of a broad-based governing coalition of Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds on Saturday signifies Iraq's final step towards full political sovereignty.

But this step remains incomplete due to the absence of two key ministers overseeing the military and the police.

However, the inauguration has shattered the deadlock that had paralyzed Iraq's government since the December election. Hopes are pinned on the administration, headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite from the conservative Islamic Dawa party, to begin to bring stability to the country fractured by three years of incessant violence.

In the final count, the conservative Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which has 130 of the 275 parliamentary seats, took the lion's share of the 37 ministries, including some of the most powerful ones. The UIA controls 17 ministries. The Kurdish Alliance gained six, the Sunni Arab National Concord Front took five ministries, and former Premier Iyad Allawi's secular list also received five.

The pledge made by al-Maliki on Sunday to resort to "maximum force" if necessary to end insurgency and sectarian violence in his country is a loud response to the past, present and future.

A bombing that killed more than a dozen people in downtown Baghdad accompanied the formation of the new government, a fresh reminder of the immensity of the task it has to deal with.

Disarming militias, whose members are believed to have infiltrated the security services, will top al-Maliki's agenda, along with promoting national reconciliation, improving the country's collapsing infrastructure and establishing a special protection force for Baghdad.

Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraqis to "denounce terrorism" and "establish an atmosphere of love and tolerance."

The new cabinet is a broad representation of Iraq's ethnic groups and religions, laying an important foundation for consensus and good governance.

This step is significant in building a new Iraq. The governance of the al-Maliki administration will decide when the United States, Britain and their allies withdraw their troops from the country.

Al-Maliki said he wants to accelerate the pace at which army and police recruits are trained to speed up the withdrawal of US-led forces from Iraq.

The positive reaction from Arab countries such as Jordan and Kuwait to the new government shows the weight of Iraq's situation. A new Iraq where its people can enjoy a better life, democracy, political pluralism and national unity contributes to security and stability in the Middle East.

Building such a country depends on whether the members of the new government members can close ranks and exploit their capabilities.

(China Daily May 23, 2006)